Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is the process by which a parent or guardian residing in an Iowa district may enroll their child(ren) into another Iowa school district under the terms and conditions of Iowa Code 282.18 (PDF) and Iowa Administrative Code 281-17 (PDF).

Good Cause Circumstances

The following circumstances are considered “good cause” and are acceptable conditions for a timeline waiver if the change occurred or began after March 1 (or September 1):

• Change in family district of residence 
• Change in child’s residence from one parent or guardian to the residence of a different parent or guardian
• Change in the state in which the family residence is located
• Change in the marital status of the student’s parents resulting in a change in resident district
• Change in guardianship or custody proceeding that results in a change in resident district
• Placement of the child in foster care resulting in a change of residence 
• Adoption 
• Participation in a foreign exchange program 
• Initial placement of a preschool student in a special education program requiring SDI
• Participation in a substance abuse or mental health treatment program resulting in a change of residence
• Change in the status of a child’s resident district such as removal of accreditation by the Iowa State Board of Education (State Board), surrender of accreditation, or permanent closure of a private school after March 1 
• Revocation of a charter school contract as provided in section 256F.8
• Failure of district negotiations for whole grade sharing or the rejection of a whole grade sharing agreement after March 1*
• Failure of district negotiations for reorganization or rejection of a proposed reorganization plan after March 1*
• Failure of district negotiations for a dissolution agreement after March 1*
• Loss of accreditation or permanent closure of a private school after March 1

Circumstances not defined above that would be considered good cause (and subject to the approval of the board of the resident district and the board of the receiving district) include:

• Repeated student harassment that the resident district cannot adequately address  or
• The child has a serious health condition that a school district cannot adequately address 

*The request must be filed within 45 days of last board action or within 30 days of certification of an election, whichever is applicable. This is only applicable to affected students.

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Additional Guidelines & Information

If a parent or guardian wishes to open enroll their child or children, they must:

1. Complete an application (available in any Iowa public school district’s central office and on the Iowa Department of Education’s [Department] website),
2. Submit an application for each child in their family, and
3. Send a copy of the application to both the resident and receiving school districts.

Muscatine School District Contact Information

Mail
Muscatine Community School District, 2900 Mulberry Avenue Muscatine, Iowa 52761

Email
daphne.donald@mcsdonline.org

Open Enrollment does not need to be renewed annually. If the receiving district remains the same, open enrollment to that district continues until the student graduates or drops out of school or until the parent or guardian notifies the district that they desire to terminate open enrollment (Iowa Admin. Code r. 281—17.8(5)).

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Current Open-Enrolled Students

If a current open-enrolled student would like to open enroll in a new school district, the parent or guardian must:

File a new application with:

• The district the student is currently attending and open enrolled in (receiving district),
• The resident district, and
• The district the student wants to attend; and

Indicate on the application that the child is currently open enrolled and would like to open enroll to a new school district.

The new district (alternate receiving district) will notify the parent or guardian, the resident district, and the previous receiving district of acceptance or denial (281—IAC 17.8(4)).

For additional information regarding open enrollment, go to the Iowa Department of Education.